ORIGINAL 1903 PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE KUNG HSIEN BUDDHIST CAVES BY HIDENORI IWATA

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ORIGINAL 1903 PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE KUNG HSIEN BUDDHIST CAVES BY HIDENORI IWATA:
$16000.00

H. Iwata (Japanese, active Beijing, early 20th century)

Gongxian (Kung-hsien) Buddhist Cave Temples, Henan, China

Circa 1903

A rare and important group of thirty (30) original gelatin silver photographs documenting the Buddhist cave-temple complex at Gongxian (historically romanized as Kung-hsien), Henan Province, China. The group is nearly complete, lacking only two photographs from the original known set of thirty-two.

The photographs depict a wide range of subjects within the Gongxian caves, including monumental standing and seated Buddhas, guardian figures, sculpted niche panels, dense relief programs, interior cave chambers with carved ceilings, exterior cliff façades, and associated architectural structures. Several images record sculptural details and interior spaces that are rarely illustrated in early photographic documentation.

The photographs are attributable to H. Iwata, Peking, identified in Japanese scholarly sources as Iwata Hidenori, a Japanese photographer active in Beijing in the early twentieth century and known for producing and distributing photographic documentation of Chinese antiquities, religious monuments, and architectural sites. Iwata’s work was widely circulated among scholars and institutions and is today represented primarily in museum and archival collections.

Each photograph is an original period print, not later reproduction, with manuscript annotations in pencil on the verso (in Japanese/Chinese characters), consistent with early scholarly or institutional cataloging practices. The versos are additionally stamped “HAA LIBRARY”, confirming provenance from the Honolulu Academy of Arts (now Honolulu Museum of Art), from which the set was later deaccessioned. The group retains its original paper wrappers and institutional housing, bearing early library and registration markings, further strengthening provenance and authenticity.

Photographs are printed on early photographic paper typical of the period, with tonal range and surface characteristics consistent with early gelatin silver processes. Condition is generally good for age, with expected minor handling wear, edge softening, and light surface marks; overall the images remain clear, legible, and visually strong.

This group constitutes a significant early photographic record of the Gongxian cave temples, made prior to modern restoration, conservation campaigns, and tourism, and offers valuable visual documentation for the study of Chinese Buddhist sculpture, early medieval religious art, and the history of archaeological photography in China.

Summary

• Photographer: H. Iwata (Iwata Hidenori)

• Date: c. 1903

• Subject: Gongxian (Kung-hsien) Buddhist cave temples, Henan, China

• Medium: Original gelatin silver photographs

• Quantity: 30 photographs (from an original set of 32)

• Provenance: Honolulu Academy of Arts (HAA Library), deaccessioned

• Significance: Rare early photographic documentation of a major Buddhist cave-temple site